Cyclic-AMP (cAMP) response element binding protein (CREB) belongs to a large family of basic leucine zipper (bZIP)-containing transcription factors including c-Jun, c-Fos and c-Myc. The protein serves a variety of biological functions including cellular proliferation, differentiation and adaptive responses. These processes are mediated by selectively transcribing a subset of CREB target genes activated by phosphorylation of CREB at Ser133 by mitogen- or stress-activated protein kinases. The phosphorylated CREB (p-CREB) is then able to bind the mammalian transcription co-activator. CREB-binding protein (CBP), via the KID (kinase-inducible domain) domain in CREB and KIX (KID-interacting) domain in CBP. This binding event will further recruit other transcriptional machinery to initiate gene transcription. Recently, it was discovered that another family of transcription co-activators, transducers of regulated CREB (TORCs), cooperates with CBP to confer the selective activation of target genes in response to distinct cellular signals.
The citation and/or discussion of cited references in this section and throughout the specification is provided merely to clarify the description of the present invention and is not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to the present invention. All cited references are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.